World Aids Day: Five common HIV myths busted as bosses warn myths from the 80s endure

World Aids Day: Five common HIV myths busted as bosses warn myths from the 80s endure

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, and weakens a person’s ability to fight infections and disease. On World Aids Day, charity bosses have warned inaccurate myths from the 1980s are still enduring in British culture.

World Aids Day: A survey by Terrence Higgins Trust has revealed myths about HIV

A survey by Terrence Higgins Trust has revealed the extent to which myths and inaccuracies about HIV - which affects more than 100,000 people in the UK - are still prevalent in Great Britain.

It said public perceptions are still mirroring those seen in the 1980s, despite the medical progress that has been made in the fight against HIV over the last three decades.

The YouGov survey of over 2,000 adults showed that one in five - 20 per cent - of Brits think that HIV can be transmitted by kissing.

The survey also revealed 30 per cent of respondents believe that sharing a toothbrush with someone who is HIV positive can pass on the virus. One in 10 think that HIV can be transmitted by sharing scissors or clippers at the hairdressers with someone who is HIV positive.

All of these are medically inaccurate - the virus does not survive outside the body and cannot be passed on through saliva or skin-to-skin contact.

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Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We’ve come a long way since the AIDS crisis first emerged, when the nation was gripped by panic and fear.

“Thankfully, we now know far more about how HIV is and is not transmitted, and medical advances now mean HIV doesn’t have to stand in the way of living a long and healthy life.

“But it’s not over – while science has moved on, we can see today that inaccurate myths from the 1980s are still deeply entrenched in society, both in terms of how HIV is transmitted, and what it’s like to live with HIV.

“Misunderstanding of the virus can fuel stigma and cause immense distress for people coming to terms with an HIV diagnosis. Much more needs to be done to bring the British public up to date with what HIV means in 2016.“

Ian added: “The HIV epidemic is not over in the UK – there are more people living with HIV in the UK today than ever before. We must not let complacency and misunderstanding undo decades of progress. On World AIDS Day, it’s more important than ever that we’re still fighting, still caring, and still wearing our red ribbons with pride.”

GP, Dr Alexandra Phelan, from Pharmacy2U, has sought to set the record straight on five common myths about HIV.

HIV can be passed from mother to child via the birth canal and breast milk. However, thanks to effective treatments in the UK, 99.5% of children born from HIV positive mothers don’t have the virus.‘If you have HIV, you’ll always get AIDS’

Treatment for HIV has improved massively since the virus was first discovered in the 1980s. In the UK, currently only 0.3 per cent of those with HIV develop AIDS.

‘If you get HIV you’ll die early’

Thanks to improved drug regimens, HIV can be managed. Complications can still exist but many patients are able to live full and productive lives.

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World Aids Day: Even with improvements in HIV testing, experts say prevention is still failing

‘HIV only infects gay men’

Anyone who is sexually active and has unprotected sex or who shares needles, regardless of whether they are gay, straight or bisexual, can contract HIV after being exposed to the virus. However, HIV rates in the UK are higher in gay and bisexual men and those of an African background. Statistics from Public Health England show that in 2013, 95% of those who contracted HIV in the UK in that year did so through unprotected sex.

‘You can’t touch people who are HIV positive’

HIV is found in the semen, vaginal fluid, blood and breast milk of infected people. You cannot catch HIV from day-to-day contact with an infected person. People who are on effective HIV treatment can even become non-infectious.

Deborah Gold, chief executive at NAT, National AIDS Trust, said experts are doing well on treatment and improving on testing, but failing on prevention.

She said: “People who are diagnosed with HIV in the UK in good time and on treatment can now expect long and healthy lives. 95 per cent of those on treatment have a suppressed viral load; not only is this fantastic for their own health but also means that they cannot pass the virus on to others.

“There are signs of improvement in HIV testing but as a nation we are still missing thousands of opportunities to diagnose HIV each year.

"Since 2011 NICE has recommended testing in GP practices and in hospitals in high prevalence areas, but we know only a small percentage do so. We hope that these new guidelines act as a catalyst to significantly increase access to HIV testing.

“Even with improvements in testing, we are still failing in prevention efforts.

“Amongst gay and bisexual men acquisition rates remain stubbornly high. We must act fast to decrease the numbers of people acquiring HIV with a radical upgrade in prevention efforts. Ongoing cuts to public health are clearly having an impact here as we struggle to maintain existing prevention interventions.

“The gains we achieve through testing and treatment are being undermined by decreased investment in prevention.”